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The Short, Happy Circuit of Aunt Clara

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The Short, Happy Circuit of Aunt Clara
Season 3, Episode 9
Series Episode 83
Airdate November 10, 1966
Written by Lee Erwin (story) & Ed Jurist (teleplay)
Directed by William Asher
Episode Guide
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The Short, Happy Circuit of Aunt Clara is the ninth episode of the third season and the eighty-third episode of the Bewitched series. The episode was completed by July 25, 1966.

Plot[]

Aunt Clara offers to babysit Tabatha. Samantha convinces Darrin to accept, since the Stephenses are having a business dinner at the Tates. During the evening, Aunt Clara clumsily uses spells and causes a general blackout across the entire Eastern Seaboard. Unable to fix the electrical problem, Clara zaps in Ocky, her ex-boyfriend with whom she had a recent breakup. The elderly warlock manages to restore the electricity, but only in the Stephenses' house and only by keeping his arms raised. Across the street, Gladys Kravitz is surprised to see electricity at her neighbors' house. When she insists that Abner see the phenomenon through the window, Ocky lowers his arms and the Stephens' house is plunged into darkness. Sam calls home to see if everything is all right and Aunt Clara tells her that the electricity is back. Larry overhears the conversation and decides to move the business dinner over there. Before the Stephenses, Larry and Mr. MacElroy (owner of MacElroy Shoes) arrive, Aunt Clara hides Ocky in the hallway closet, warning him not to show himself and to keep his arms up. The business meeting continues with still more problems. Tensions rise when the power company arrives, previously called by Mrs. Kravitz, to check why the lights are on. Gladys also sneaks into the house to see what she can find, but fearing discovery, she hides in the closet. Just as Mr. MacElroy wants to leave, she screams and comes out of the closet. When Darrin checks to see what scared her, Ocky, who has made himself invisible except for his shoes, comes out of the closet. Gladys faints and the shoes magically move towards her, step over her, and then out of the house. Mr. MacElroy finds the idea brilliant, thinking the animated shoes are part of his advertising campaign. The next morning, Darrin reads a rational explanation in the newspaper for what caused the blackout, but Sam claims that mortals always find an explanation for what witches do.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

Casting[]

  • Arthur Julian was credited as Arte Julian.
  • Except for Leo DeLyon as Jenkins, the actors playing the power company repairmen were uncredited.
  • Agnes Moorehead did not appear and received credit only.

General[]

  • The title of this episode is a takeoff on Ernest Hemingway's 1936 short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber," about a man confronted with his fear and his cowardice in front of his wife and a guide during a safari.
  • This episode is inspired by the Northeast Blackout which occurred one year earlier on November 9, 1965.

Cast[]

See Also[]

Sources[]

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